Cardinals spoil Huron homecoming with last-drive win

Joy turned into despair for the Huron football team as the Onaway Cardinals ruined homecoming night for Rogers City last week, stealing a 29-27 win. Onaway erased a 27-14 deficit in the fourth quarter by scoring on its last two possessions. The come-from-behind win gave Onaway its fifth straight victory while stopping the Hurons? six game winning streak. The Cards went deep into the playbook to keep the Hurons off guard, using a variety of formations and trickery to get the job done. ?They did spread us out with the shotgun, but they also made the plays when they needed to,? said Huron coach Mike Kosiara. A boost for the Cards also came in the form of several players who returned to the team after missing games for various reasons.

ONAWAY SHOWED no signs of quitting after homecoming king Tyler Schuiteman scored on a nine-yard run up the middle at the 9:19 mark of the fourth quarter on a fourth down play. It would be the second fourth down conversion of the drive. The first came on a naked bootleg run by junior quarterback Chase McLennan. McLennan faked left, then went right as the rest of his team continued left to pick up four yards on a fourth-and-two. It gave the Hurons a first down at their own 47 with 11:33 left in the game.

On the next play, McLennan flipped a pass in the left flat to junior wideout Bret Karsten. The speedy receiver reversed field and evaded defenders before he was forced out of bounds after a 35-yard gain. Two plays later, Schuiteman scored what would be the last Huron points of the night for a 27-14 lead.

THE CARDS used five plays to cover 54 yards for the TD and a two-point conversion on the ensuing drive. The big play of the drive was a 24-yard TD pass from Tim Garms to Andrew LaLonde. An offside call on the PAT kick attempt moved the ball closer to the goal line, causing Cardinal coach Tony Hoffmeyer to try for, and succeed at, a two-pointer, run in by LaLonde. With 6:50 left in the game, the Hurons led 27-22 and needed a long drive and a score to fend off the charging Cards. They got the long drive, but not the score, surrendering the ball to Onaway with 3:32 left in the contest, after a fourth-and-13 pass attempt to Trent Holmes fell incomplete at the Cardinal 20 yard-line. A 21-yard pass play to Karsten started the Hurons? drive. Then Dustin Hein and Schuiteman each had runs of eight yards before McLennan, who led the team with 160 rushing yards, ripped off a 14-yard gainer.

With the clock and chains both moving deep in the Cardinals? end, things looked good for the Hurons. Then McLennan was trapped for a three-yard loss on first down. An incomplete pass on second down, and a one-yard loss by Brent Freel on a third down sweep, came before an incomplete pass to Holmes on fourth down. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Cards mounted a long drive which seemed endless to the Huron faithful. Onaway used just over three minutes to run an incredible14 plays which covered 80 yards, including converting on a fourth-and-six play at midfield.

THE BIGGEST play of the drive came when Schuiteman was injured attempting to make a tackle on the right sideline with just under a minute to go on the 11th play of the drive. An ambulance came to the senior linebacker?s aid, but he eventually was helped off and sought his own treatment for a bruised muscle in his left leg. Needing a defensive stop, the Hurons didn?t get one, as the Cards scored three plays later. Garms took the snap at the Huron one, fumbled, and Onaway recovered in the end zone with what proved to be the winning score.

THE HURONS GOT on the scoreboard first, with Hein scoring on a two-yard run with 10:53 showing on the clock in the first quarter. An interception by Karsten at midfield and his return to the two-yard line set up the score. In the second quarter, after Onaway tied the score at 7-7, the Hurons answered with a 60-yard drive, capped by a four-yard run by McLennan with 5:56 left in the half. Onaway?s next drive ended in a punt, giving the Hurons time to score once again in the half. Long runs by Freel and McLennan brought the ball to the Cardinal 30, but a fumble cost them possession. Fortunes turned around quickly as Karsten picked off a Garms pass at the Cardinal 38, giving the Hurons one last shot at a score before halftime, but time ran out on the opportunity. Karsten picked off his third pass of the day, on a faked punt attempt, to set up the first score of the third quarter. Taking over on the Huron 48, Rogers City needed just four plays to score. McLennan and Karsten connected again, this time on a 48-yard beauty, which went the distance, Joe Finch kicked the PAT, and the Hurons led 21-7 with two minutes left in the third quarter. ?Bret saw something in the secondary and asked for the play,? Kosiara said. ?He then backed it up with action.?

ASKED WHAT good could come out of this game, a bitter loss to a close rival on homecoming night, Kosiara responded with optimism. ?Hopefully, Tyler will miss only one week (with his injured leg). This allows us to get some people playing time at other positions,? Kosiara said. Schuiteman has been one of the leading tacklers on the team from his linebacker position and a steady runner on offense. The coach hopes Schuiteman will be ready for week n

ine, but has no plans to call up anyone from coach Chad Coolman?s junior varsity.

The Hurons (6-1) locked up a playoff berth with their win at Rudyard two weeks ago, and now face Newberry and Kingsley in the final two regular season games at home. ?Newberry only has one win, so they are hungry. They have a diversified offense and their 4-4 defense always presents a challenge,? Kosiara said. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gilpin Field with Erik Nadolsky ably announcing the action on the public address system. Karl Grambau and Karl Momrik will describe the action on radio station 99.9 FM, The Wave.

Statistics: Total offense: Rogers City, 259 rushing, 110 passing. Onaway 228 rushing, 154 passing. Rushing: McLennan 24/160/1; Schuiteman 6/57/1; Freel 6/22/0; Hein 6/17/1. Passing: McLennan 4-of-13, 110 yards, 1 TD. Receiving: Karsten 4/110/1. Tackles: Holmes 15, Schuiteman 9, Gapczynski 9, Freel 7. Interceptions: Karsten 3.

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